Sentencing

to drug criminals because the court system, in order to save money and other resources, doesn’t want to hear the drug court cases. When drug cases appear in court, it is up to the judge to decide the sentencing for the criminal. Many judges are awarding these criminals with a minimum harsh sentencing right away, making everything easier for the courts by not even having the case go to court. According to the book, The New Jim Crow, written by Michelle Alexander, “‘The value of a mandatory…

and do not allow judges to impose a sentence lower than what has been established. These sentences served the purpose of diminishing unlimited judge discretion and consequently lead to the limitation and even elimination of judicial discretion in sentencing. For example, an individual caught with or selling 50 grams of crack cocaine will automatically receive a 10-year federal mandatory sentence, regardless if they had no prior convictions or if…

What can be done about the disparity of sentencing? More effective selection of jury and venue holds a significant supplemental opportunity that needs to be fleshed out but is a unique and hopeful angle suggested by research which bears acknowledgment. Culturally speaking, societal values and personal values must be effectively merged in the minds of officers of the court such as prosecutors and judges to instill a greater commitment to the true spirit and mechanism of due process. Plea…

liberals are concerned that the minorities are being targeted unfairly. While conservatives are more worried about the increased costs. Both sides are actively looking for a solution to the problem of increased incarcerations. Some alternatives to long sentencing include drug treatment programs, ending mandatory…

Bill C-10. Youth that have committed violent crimes are dangerous and should be held accountable. The system in place is already lenient with minor offences and offers many chances at rehabilitation. Most importantly, violent crimes deserve adult sentencing. I would like to endorse the aspect of the Bill that states adult sentences can be imposed on young people over 14 years of age. One reason for my approval of this aspect is that youth offenders that have committed violent crimes can be…

that mass incarceration has not contributed to reducing crime; in fact it may have more negative effects than positive ones. Policies enacted in this movement include mandatory minimum sentencing laws like three strikes and truth-in-sentencing. Three strikes laws take away judicial discretion, giving more sentencing power to the prosecutor because they decide what to charge the defendant with. Mandatory minimums often require life sentences for many offenders who are nonviolent and non-serious.…

colossus in confinement. In fact, the policy reforms that increased the rate of incarceration is the anti-drug reform and the sentencing reform that has negatively impacted the economy by quadrupling its institutionalized population from eight hundred thousand in 1970 to four million inmates in 2008 according to Carla J Virlee author of "Offenders In The Community: Reshaping Sentencing And Supervision". Additionally, the U.S makes up 5% of the world’s population and yet institutionalizes 25% of…

In the late 1950’s and throughout the 1960’s sentencing for misdemeanor or non-violent felonies where at the hands of the judges. This allowed a certain amount of controlled flexibility in how they sentenced. They came up with some very constructive ways of dealing with what they perceived as a possible and potential long term problem individual. The sentencing sometimes took on a geopolitical form by offering the individual to be sentenced, the potential problem child, to a two-year stint in…

The sentencing system in the US and the influences upon prison inmates is an increasing issue. The way people are raised and the environment people grow up in really affect them. The effect that inmates’ backgrounds have on prison sentencing is anything but just due to things such as social status, race, and the lack of resources, environmental factors, and financial income. This causes even the most dangerous criminals to receive short or reduced sentences, and puts people that make our world…

Sentencing is defined as “the judicial determination of a legal sanction to be imposed upon a person found guilty of an offence” (Goff, 2014, p. 432). In Canada, we have the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA, 2003) instead of the Youth Offenders Act (YOA, 1984) that helps within regards to the punishment of the child between the ages of twelve and seventeen. There will be discussion of the Youth Offenders Act that was replaced and the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the Youth Offender Act. There…